Wendy's upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Longbow

BMO Capital says that fast food companies "are likely more insulated" from Amazon (AMZN) than other types of restaurants "due to their convenience-based usage occasions, low price points, and insulation from deflationary pressures." The firm identifies Wendy's (WEN) and McDonald's (MCD) as its favorite names in the fast food space.

08/21/17

08/21/17INITIATION

On The Fly: Top five analyst initiations

Catch up on the today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Sienna Biopharmaceuticals (SNNA) initiated with an Outperform at BMO Capital, an Overweight at JPMorgan and an Outperform at Cowen. 2. Maxim analyst James Jang initiated coverage of the dry bulk shipping sector, starting Seanergy Marine (SHIP), Safe Bulkers (SB), Euroseas (ESEA) and Eagle Bulk Shipping (EGLE) with Buy ratings. 3. Buckingham analyst Matthew Brooklier started coverage of Knight Transportation (KNX), Werner (WERN) and Ryder (R) with Buy ratings and Old Dominion (ODFL) with a Neutral rating. 4. Baker Hughes (BHGE) initiated with a Buy at Argus. 5. Sturm, Ruger (RGR) initiated with a Buy at Aegis. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

05/11/17

SPHN

05/11/17NO CHANGETarget $18SPHNOverweight

Wendy's price target raised to $18 from $16 at Stephens

Stephens analyst Will Slabaugh said he continues to be impressed by the top-line consistency at Wendy's, which he credits to the continued success of its value offerings and marketing. The analyst, who sees the company winning at both the value and premium ends of the menu, raised his price target on Wendy's to $18 from $16 following its Q1 report and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares.

05/11/17

RHCO

05/11/17NO CHANGERHCO

Wendy's price target raised to $18 from $16 at SunTrust

SunTrust analyst Jake Bartlett continues to expect Wendy's stock to rise, driven by SSS outperformance, new restaurants, and cost cutting. The analyst noted that the company's SSS rose 1.6%, outperforming peers excluding McDonald's (MCD) SSS gain of 0.4%. Bartlett expects the company to continue to do well in 2H17 and he keeps a Buy rating on the shares.

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